Definitions for knee-jerk
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Random House Webster's College Dictionary
knee′ jerk`(n.)
a reflex extension of the leg resulting from a sharp tap on the patellar tendon.
Category: Physiology
Origin of knee jerk:
1875–80
knee′-jerk`(adj.)
Informal. reacting in an automatic, habitual manner; unthinking:
a knee-jerk liberal.
Category: Common Vocabulary
Origin of knee-jerk:
1895–1900
Wiktionary
knee-jerk(Noun)
A sudden reflexive movement of the leg below the knee, as a reaction to a tap to the tendon just below the patella (kneecap).
knee-jerk(Adjective)
Automatic, spontaneous, easily predictable
He gave a knee-jerk response.
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"knee-jerk." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2013. Web. 19 Jun 2013. <http://www.definitions.net/definition/knee-jerk>.